Article handling apparatus



Feb. 1, 1949. s. A. CORREN 2,460,379

ARTICLE HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 15, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR S.A.CORREN ATTORNEY Feb. 1, 1949. s. A. CORREN 2,460,379

ARTICLE HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 13, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR S.A. CORREN ATTORNEY Feb. 1, 1949. s, A, goRREN 2,460,379

ARTICLE HANDLING APPARATUS s Sheets-Shet 3 Filed Jan. 15. 1944 INVENTOR S.A.CORREN ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 1, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE Y ARTICLE HANDLING APPARATUS Nassau smelting 8;

Refining 'oampany, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York 8 Claims.

This invention relates to article handling apparatus, andmore particularly to apparatus for separating enclosing parts of articles from parts enclosed thereby.

In order to reclaim metal forming the shells of worn out dry cells, battery elements contained in such shellsmust be removed therefrom. Previous to this invention, such elements were removed by hand or were pressed from the shells by apparatus requiring a large amount of manual handling of the batteries in its operation which thereby rendered the cost of such reclamation prohibitive.

It'is an object of this invention to provide new and improved article handling apparatus. 7

One device embodying the invention comprises a reciprocal pneumatically actuated plunger, a rotatable carrier positioned beneath the plunger, which carrier is provided with a plurality of compartments for holding dry cells to be operated upon, a wall adjacent to a portion of the circumference of the carrier, a plurality of fins extending from the wall towards the carrier and so positioned that one end of each of the fins is nearer the carrier than is the other end, whereby the dry cells are firmly held in position in the compartments, means for intermittently rotating the carrier so as to position the dry cells beneath the plunger, and a finger so positioned as to disengage the stripped shells from the compartments.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof, when read in connection with the appended drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, top plan view of an apparatus embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical, partially sectional view thereof taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the apparatus, and I Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, a cylindrical article carrier I0 having a plurality of U -shaped pockets I I -l 5 formed therein at equidistant points about the periphery. thereof is rotatably mounted upon a post 12 (Fig. 2) extending through apertures in a base plateie and a base is forming part of a support l5 and secured in position by means of a nut Hi. The post I2 has an L-shaped passage 11 formed therein for lubricating purposes, and a nut l-8 having a hexagonal flange formed thereon is threaded upon its upper end to secure the carrier l0 rotatably upon the post l2. The carrier I 0 is provided with an annular groove 24 formed around the periphery thereof to a depth equal to that of the pockets H-H and a plurality of horizontal arcuate fins 23-23 formed on the interior surfaces of the pockets H-i I which project into the pockets.

Each of a plurality of blocks 25-25 is secured upon the upper surface of the carrier i0 adjacent to the outer periphery thereof and approximately midway between each adjacentpair of the U-shaped pockets H-! l. The blocks 25-25 have inwardly and downwardly bevelled ends 26-26 which are predisposed sothat in going around the carrier in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 1, the bevelled ends 26-26 will be encountered first as each block is reached. A yoke 21 (Figs. 1, 2 and 6) resting upon the carrier H] has a circular aperture 28 formed therein which surrounds the lower periphery of the nut I8. The yoke 27 also has formed therein a notch 30 and aligned bores 3l-3l, which extend outwardly from the notch 30. One end of a handle 32 is pivotally mounted upon a pin 3'! passing through the bores 3l-3I and a bore 36 formed in the handle 32. The handle 32 has a bevelled surface formed thereon, which is complementary to the bevelled ends 25-26 on the blocks 25-25. When the handle 32 is held against the carrier i6 and rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. l, the

bevelled surface 35 is brought against one of the bevelled ends 26-25 of the block 25-25 and causes the carrier to rotate around the post l2.

A generally triangular plate 38 (Figs. 1 and 2) having an aperture 49 and bores 4l-4i formed therein is secured by the nut I8 and bolts 43-43 upon the yoke 27 and upon arcuate blocks 44 and 45 having bores46-45 therein. The bolts 43- 53 project through the bores 4I-4i and 46-46 and are threaded into apertures 41-47 formed in the base plate l3. An arcuate cam 48, having ribs 50-50 projecting from the inner periphery thereof and the ends 5| and 52 thereof beveled, is secured to the blocks 44 and 45 by screws 55-55. The block 45 is positioned closer to the carrier i0 than is the block 44 so that the portion of the cam 48 secured to the block 45 is closer to the outer periphery of the carrier l0 than is that portion of the cam which is secured to the 'bIOck 44.

A stripper 56 (Fig. 3 and 5) having a finger 51 formed thereon is secured on the plate It by a bracket 58. The finger 51 has an arcuate surface 60 formed on the end thereof and projects into the groove 24 formed in the carriage ID with the surface 60 resting on the inner surface of the groove.

A pneumatic cylinder 82 (Fig. 2) supported by a standard 63 forming a part of the support 85 has conduits 65-55 leading (not shown) of a conventional type which is con-' nected to a supply of compressed air. The base plate i3, the base l4 and the plate 38 have aligned openings 61, $8 and 69, respectively, which are directly be actuated by the pneumatic cylinder 52. openings 61, B8 and 68 are concentric with the circular portions of when the pockets therewith.

In the operation of the apparatus described hereinabove, one of a plurality of dry cells i I-l i, for example, a flashlight cell, having its outer paper covering removed'is placed in one of the pockets H-H at the loading position, which has been designated A in the drawings. The handle 32 is moved into engagement with one of the blocks 25-25 and is rotated to rotate the carrier ii] in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, through an angle of about 60. When the handle 32 is moved into engagement with any of the blocks 25-25, the surface is pressed against the bevelled end 25 of the block and the handle 32 is thereby forced against the carrier it. During the above described rotation the dry are positioned in alignment cell H rides over the plate l5 and is carried to the position designated B where it is forced by the bevelled end 5! and the ribs iii-5E3 of the cam 48 into contact with the fins 23-23 in the pocket H in which it is positioned.

A second dry cell then is placed in the next succeeding pocket (Fig. 1) reaching the-loading position A. The handle 32 is disengaged from the block which it is engaging, is lifted to clear the block and is then rotated clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 1, until it is in a position to engage another one of the blocks 25-25. The handle 32 is then lowered into engagement with the latter block and is again rotated to turn the carrier ll! until the first-mentioned cell of the dry cells H-li is carried to the ejection station C directly beneath the plunger '53 and is inalignment with the openings 6?, (it and 55 formed in the base plate is, the base 54 and the plate 38, respectively. As this dry cell is moved from position B to the'ejection station C, the ribs 58-53 of the cam 28, which are positioned closerto the carrier H3 at the end 52 of the cam than at the end 5! thereof, will bear against the shell E2 of the dry cell and force the dry the fins 23-23 so that the fins 23-23 and ribs -56 will grip the cell sufficiently to somewhat corrugate the shell thereof and thus securely hold the cell below the plunger 78.. v

The compressed air valve (not shown) is then operated manually to cause the plunger it (Fig. 2) to be forced downward to eject the interior elements of the dry cell from the shell it thereof which is held against movement by the fins 23-23 and ribs -50. The stroke of the plunger NJ is srimciently long to permit it to remove the entire center portion of the cells frornthe surrounding shells. After the downward motion of the plunger 10 has ceased, the valve is shifted to retract the plunger.

below a plunger it which may.

The

the U-shaped pockets il-H cell tightly against The fins 23-23 and ribs from an air valve,

1 finger 51 projecting into the a predetermined recess between the ribs 50-50 securely hold the shell 12 throu hout the ejecting and retracting operations.

A third one of the dry cells I l-H (Fig. 1) then is placed in the next pocket Ii and the carrier H3 is rotated until the second mentioned dry cell is directly under the plunger 10 and the ejecting operation is repeated. As the carrier it is retated, the empty shell 12 of the first mentioned dry cell is moved from the ejecting station C and is retained in the carrier l0 until it engages the groove 24 at the station D, which finger removes the shell from the carrier. As the carrier I0 is rotated between the ejecting operations, the succeeding empty shells 'IZ-IZ-are withdrawn from their respective pockets H-H by the finger 51 and are guided by the stripper 56 off the plate it into any suitable receptacle (not shown) from which they may be removed as desired for further reclaiming operations.

Large numbers of dry cells may be handled by the use of the above described apparatus within a comparatively short period of time, thus reducing the labor and expense normally required to prepare the shells thereof for reclaiming operations. The above described embodiment of the invention may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the handle 32 may be removed and a suitable intermittent drive may be attached to the carriage ill to rotate it automatically. Also, cams may be spacedly positioned on the carriage and the operating mechanism of the air valve may be positioned in the path of the cams to automatically actuate the plunger Whenever one of the dry cells is positioned beneath it.

What is claimed is:

1. In an article handling apparatus, a carrier provided with a U-shaped recess formed in one edge thereof, and also provided with a groove extending along that edge, said carrier having fins thereon projecting into said recess, means for moving the carrier to move the recess along path, a cam having ribs formed thereon extending along a. portion of said edge with one end thereof closer to said edge than its other end'for wedging an article carried in the and the fins as the article is moved to a point opposite the cam, and a finger extending into the groove for engaging and withdrawing the article from the recess as it is moved beyond the cam.

2. In an article handling apparatus, which comprises a carrier having a U-shap-ed recess formed in one edge thereof for receiving an artiole, said carrier also being provided with a groove formed therein along said edge to a depth equal to the depth of the recess, means for moving the carrier to carry an article in the recess, an elon gated cam rigidly positioned adjacent to the path of the recess with one end thereof closer to the .recess than the other end thereof for wedging the article between the Walls of the recess and the cam, and means projecting into the groove for Withdrawing the article from the recess.

3. In an article handling apparatus, a mechanism for securing a dry cell, which comprises a base plate having an opening formed therein, a disc'having a plurality of U-shaped article-carrying recesses formed in the periphery thereof rotatably mounted on the base plate, said disc also being provided with a groove in the periphery thereof of a depth equal to that of the recesses and intersecting the recesses, a plurality of ar- ,cuate fins projecting into the recesses, means for rotating the disc, an arcuate cam having ribs formed on the inner periphery thereof secured to the plate with one end thereof secured nearer to the periphery of the disc than the other end,

whereby as one of the cells is moved the fins in the recess and the ribs of the cam securely keep the outer shell of the cell therebetween, and an extracting member having a finger formed thereon which lies against the inner periphery of the groove for forcing the emptied shell from the recess as the disc is further rotated.

4. In an article handling apparatus, a carrier movable over a predetermined path, said carrier having a U-shaped recess formed on one edge thereof and also provided with fins projecting into the recess for engaging an article to be held therein, means for moving the carrier over the predetermined path, and a wedge positioned adjacent to the path for forcing an article in the recesses against the, projecting fins, said wedge'being provided with ribs extending along the predetermined path for engaging and keeping an article in the recess.

5. In an article handling apparatus, a carrier having a recess formed in one edge thereof and also being provided with a plurality of fins projecting into the recessfcr engagement with an article to be held therein, a cam having a plurality of ribs extending therealong positioned adjacent to said edge of the carrier, said ribs being closer to said edge at one end of the ribs than at the other end'thereof, means for moving the carrier to move said edge along the predetermined path, whereby an article positioned in the recess is wedged securely-between the fins and .the ribs.

6. In an article handling apparatus, a carrier provided with U-shaped recesses formed in one edge thereof and also provided with fins projecting into the recesses, a cam having ribs formed thereon extending along a portion of said edge of the carrier with one end thereof closer to said edge than its other end, and means for moving the carrier to move the recesses along a predetermined path adjacent to the cam, said carrier being moved in a direction in which the recesses move from the more remotely positioned endof the cam'to the closer end of the cam, whereby an article positioned in one of the recesses is securely gripped between the ribs and the fins as the article is moved to a point adjac'ent to the end of the cam' which is closer to said edge of the carrier.

7. An article gripping apparatus including 'a' carrier, a base, means mounting the carrier on said base for movement along a fixed path, an article recess in a side edge of said carrier opening at its side transversely of said path and open at each end, an elongated cam fixed to said base extending along said path at the open side of said recess, said cam being provided with a plurality of immovable elongated ribs each extending along said path and being positioned progressively closer to said recess along their length to gradually reduce the space between said ribs and said recess as said recess moves along said path, and means for moving said carrier along said path whereby the ribs are gradually forced into the sides of an article to recess and tightly grip the same.

8. An article gripping apparatus, a base, a carrier mounted on said base for movement along a fixed path, an article recess in said carrier opening toward said path and completely passing through said carrier, a plurality of fins positioned along the face of the wall of the recess, an elongated cam positioned lengthwise of said path having a plurality of ribs running along the length thereof and facing said recess, said cam secured to the base and positioned progressively closer to said carrier along the path, and means for moving said carrier along said path whereby the fins and ribs are gradually forced into the side of an article to recess and tightly grip the same.

SIDNEY A. CORREN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the his of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 565,285 Larsen Aug. 4, 1896 585,763 Jacobs July 6, 1897 831,905 Thom Sept. 25, 1906 917,269 Eden Apr. 6, 1909 1,103,182 Elliott July 14, 1914 1,106,222 Johnson Aug. 4, 1914 1,185,889 Eberhart June 6, 1916 1,246,876 Casella Nov. 20, 1917 1,332,538 Bourque Mar. 2, 1926 1,377,395 Calleson May 10, 1921 1,533,710 Sproul Apr. 14, 1925 1,657,101 Zeitlin Jan. 24, 1928 1,675,382 Reinhardt July 3, 1928 1,750,419 I Mojonnier et al. Mar. 11, 1930 1,795,141 Phelps Mar. 3, 1931 1,825,751 Meyer et al Oct. 6, 1931 1,921,403 Bell Aug. 8, 1933 2,013,144 Gladfelter Sept. 3, 1935 2,047,021 Friden July 7, 1936 2,415,037 Redmer Jan. 28, 1947,

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 391,820 Great Britain May 4, 1933 

